“Well, maybe Brent and I will stay in LA until Monday morning so you can have a whole debauchery-filled weekend,” Nick muttered, his voice hoarse.
“Sounds like a plan to me. You have my permission,” I apprised him, leaving his bedroom to head for the kitchen. “You don’t have to be good, just careful,” I called from the hall.
Seconds later he charged around in front of me, making sure I couldn’t get by him. “What the hell does that mean?” he growled, fists clenched, glowering at me. “You can fuck whoever you want, but I––”
“No, not at all. I was just trying to be funny,” I said softly, soothingly. “All I meant was that you should have fun, go get laid, do whatever you want, just keep the other temptations in check so I don’t have to drive down there and haul your ass out of some cheap hotel room in the middle of the day with your ass hangin’ out for the whole world to see.”
“You––”
“No falling off the wagon. You’ve done such a great job.”
“I––”
“For the love of God, would you quit trying to argue with me, please? I’m trying to compliment you here. You’ve worked so hard,” I said, putting my hands on his shoulders. “I don’t want to see you not get everything you want.” After a moment of staring up at me, into my face, he nodded. “You should get back to getting glamourous,” I directed before I walked away.
I was a little worried about him going alone, but I felt like, for us to take a big step forward, I had to show him that he was trusted. His daily vitriol had been getting to me, and this morning, not being the rock the waves of his anger broke on had been a relief. I liked the peace, and I wanted it to continue. Us being apart would be great for both of us. He needed time to discover who he was going to be without me as his shadow, and I needed the break of only having to worry about myself. I was so looking forward to the quiet.
Six
There was a night-and-day difference between being on the job as a bodyguard and being on the job as a fixer. Bodyguarding meant standing between your client and their potential oblivion, strapped and in a state of readiness until someone relieved you. Decision making was tactical and offensive, reaction time was sometimes split-second. Being in Santa Barbara as a fixer meant my gun spent most days locked in its case. I was no less on guard with Nick Madison, but I was using an entirely different skill set here. Letting him stretch his wings a little was the logical next step in the process to him being able to fly on his own. This trip to LA for the weekend was a judgment call I hoped neither of us would end up regretting, but if he was going to go down in flames the moment he was out of my sight, things did not bode well for him having a viable future.
I watched the limo ferrying Nick and his entourage out the gates and then did something I’d been dying to do since I got to the house. I’d had a mini-fridge delivered not long after I settled in—it was in my room, under lock and key—so I grabbed a beer and went to sit outside in the shade on the patio. The quiet was soothing, as was the breeze, and since it was long overdue, I opened my FaceTime app and called my mother so she could experience the serenity as well.
“Oh, honey, what an incredible house and view!”
“Nick doesn’t realize how lucky he is.”
“He’s young, love. You must grant him some latitude.”
I grunted.
“Judgment doesn’t look good on you,” she chided gently.
“Fine,” I muttered.
“That’s my sweet boy.”
Sweet boy. Only to her. “Listen, once this job is over, before I head back to Chicago, I’m gonna come visit.”
Her eyes filled so fast. “That will be wonderful.”
“Don’t cry,” I groused at her. “How’re your dogs?”
“They’re fine, as are the deer, the squirrels, the feral cats, the javelinas, the swans, and the hummingbirds and the butterflies.”
Oh God.
“Love, I’ve been so worried about you. Do your chakras feel balanced?”
Like I would know. “I’ll say yes.”
“I think it’s about time you found your life-mate.”
I choked on my beer.
She should have a life-mate, not me. Who in their right mind stood up in front of people and vowed to love whoever for life? Give me a fucking break.
Of course, my mother always told me that when the goddess smiled on her and finally revealed the one, she’d know it and would stop looking. I was glad when she had found her calling writing books about tapping into the individual power within. When she started selling well, I was thrilled for her. I flew out to Sedona for her first book launch, and she kept me at her side all night, her arm in mine.